I took a look at a 79 the other day and noticed that when the wheels were straight the steering wheel spokes were not, don't they just go on one way? If so what would cause this. I don't see any thing bent under the car .

Thanks in advance

 

I'm not sure how a 79's steering wheel is attached but on my 69 I can remove the wheel with a wheel puller. You might want to try that and see if you can change the orientation of the wheel. Otherwise you'll need a wheel puller to take it off and re set it.

 

I agree on my 78 the steering wheel is aligned with the splines, just pull it off and move it one spline or so.

 

Your problem could be as simple as the last person that had the steering wheel and hub off of the column just put it back one serration off. Remove the horn cap and look at the end of the steering column shaft. There should be a punch mark on the shaft and a corresponding mark on the steering wheel hub. The two marks should be right in line with each other. If they aren't aligned, you should install the hub correctly aligned and see if that corrects your problem.

If the wheel isn't on center even though the two marks are in alignment, you should begin the following tests to find the correct system alignment.

First and foremost, it is important that your steering gear is on center as well as your steering wheel being centered as you are driving straight down the road. Your steering gear has a "high spot" right on center that is important for a good precise steering feel.

Park your Vette where you can jack it up and then let it down and drive it straight a short distance.

Turn your steering wheel from full lock in one direction to full lock at the opposite side. Carefully count the revolutions and part revolutions of the wheel (X revolutions.) Now divide that number in half (X/2.) Starting at full lock, rotate your steering wheel X/2 revolutions. Now your steering gear is right on center. Note your steering wheel position. It is also good to open your hood and take a piece of chalk and mark the flexible coupling right at this 12 o'clock position. Note, with the gear right on center, the stop pins on the flexible coupling should be at the 6 and 12 o'clock positions (straight up and down). You should also be able to see the head of the bolt that clamps the coupling flange to the gear input shaft. The head should be pointing straight up at you.

Drive your car forward. Does it travel straight ahead? If so, then your gear is on center and your car travels straight. So all you have to do is reposition your steering wheel so that the center spoke it is now pointing right at 6 o'clock.

Does your car travel right or left? If so, you will need to get under the car and adjust your tie rods so that the car travels straight with the gear on center. You will need to loosen all four tie rod clamps and rotate the left and right adjuster tubes in the same direction and exactly the same amounts.

If your car travels left with your gear on center, you will need to lengthen the left tie rod (driver side) and shorten the right. If you rotate the adjuster tubes the same direction and the same number of turns, you will not change your front wheel toe settings.

If your car travels right -- shorten the left side and lengthen the right side.

Now with your gear on center and your car traveling straight, you can tighten your tie rod adjuster tubes. Make sure you orient your adjuster tube clamps per the shop manual and tighten them to spec.

Now take a look at your steering wheel and adjust it if necessary by using a puller to remove the hub from the column shaft. Index the steering wheel to get it centered as close as the serrations will allow. With 30 serrations on the steering hub and shaft, you should be able to get the steering wheel centered within 6 degrees.

Now, if you want to fine tune the steering wheel to get it perfectly on center, you will have to adjust the tie rods one last time. If the steering wheel needs to be adjusted clockwise to get it on center - the left tie rod will need to shorten and the right lengthen. If the steering wheel need to be adjusted counterclockwise - left needs to lengthen and the right shorten.

 

Thanks for the replys, Jim, great reply and very informative. I am actully looking to purchase this car and was wondering if this was going to be a big thing/problem or not. Thanks again :cheers: